I don’t know why I thought this was a YA book because it definitely was not and I was thrilled about that. Very adult book with adult problems, content and open door romance. Always love friends to enemies to lovers, so this entire story was right up my alley. I liked how it covered dealing with grief after the fact, not right at the moment of impact and how you can find people to lean on when you’re going through it. I really enjoyed June and Levi and thought their chemistry was fantastic, so I was rooting for them to entire story. This was my first book by Emma Lord and it definitely won’t be my last!

3.5 stars – The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord is about June and Levi. They were friends in high school that liked each other but never shared their feelings. The “relationship” basically ended. Fast forward to both June and Levi being famous for each of their relationships ending on social media (not in a good way at all). They see each other again and decide to fake date to get the public off their backs and help June’s business.

I’m not sure where this story went off track. It has many fun story elements: fake dating, second chance romance and a VERY slow burn romance. The story seemed to drag a little bit and it would have been good to hear Levi’s perspective/feelings on the relationship. I had a hard time sticking with this one. I usually love Emma Lord books, but this one just wasn’t my favorite. Onward and upwards to her next novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for allowing me to read an ARC.

I LOVED THIS. The amount of joy this book brought my heart was incredible. I love that this book was light and funny and just all around a warm-fluffy feeling of a book. This is the kind of book that I would ready sitting at the beach or curled up by the fireplace in the middle of winter.

My favorite part about this book was how much I felt myself relating to June. I loved how she grew mentally and emotionally throughout the book. (We love a strong and powerful business woman!)

Shoutout to NetGalley and Emma Lord for the ARC of this book!!

My first book by this author and I enjoyed her writing. I enjoyed some of the topics the author kept bringing up through the main characters. It showed more depth and self development.

Second chance romance and fake dating are two of my absolute favorite tropes so when I read the synopsis for THE BREAK-UP PACT I just knew I’d love it!!!

While the book started off a little slow in my opinion, I found that the pacing picked up and remained pretty consistent throughout the entire book. I really enjoyed learning about June and Levi’s past and thought that the reason for the fake dating pact was pretty cute.

Overall I thought this was a quick, light, fun read with major summer vibes! I wish I could’ve read this at the beach or by the pool!!! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an eARC of THE BREAK-UP PACT by Emma Lord in exchange for my honest review.

June and Levi have been friends since childhood. They haven't talked for many years. They are both subject to public break-ups. Levi is back in their hometown that June moved back to two years earlier because of a family tragedy. A photo of them together starts trending. They decide to fake date so it will bring in business to her flailing tea shop and make his ex-fiance jealous and return to him.

This book brings the unique take on the fake dating trope with 2 people going through public and humiliating break-ups at the same time. I found it entertaining to see all of the dates they went on. I found it a little hard to believe that neither one of them questioned if it was a good idea for them to get together without possinly wrecking the repaired Friendship. The characters were well developed and I felt for them (especially when she met up with Griffin. I was like "No, girl, what are you thinking?!) It showed the needed growth they both needed to do. I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing this ARC!

A fun and beachy second chance romance! June and Levi were best friends growing up but have lost touch after high school. When they both have very public breakups from their respective partners and find themselves back in their hometown together, the “Break-Up Pact” is formed - and their spark is rekindled. Will their exes get in the way...?

I didn’t like the reasons that June and Levi started fake dating - it wasn’t believable to me and the whole setup felt forced, even though I do love the fake dating romance trope when done well. For that reason the first half of the book wasn’t my favourite, but it picked up towards the middle and the ending was sweet. I liked the small beach town vibes and I thought that the relationships with Annie could have been explored more deeply to give further emotional backstory for both main characters.

Overall a fun read that will make you crave a baked good because the word “scone” was used approximately one billion times!

The story line of the break up pact drew me in. I liked the book minus some parts that were unnecessary. It was confusing at times between June and Levi, but still a good story. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I really wanted to like this book. I've been eating up second chance romances like candy but I was just bored.

I liked both main characters - they weren't unlikable. They were just boring.

*possible spoiler* I also thought the sibling death would hit me a little bit harder but that was also lacking any depth.

This book also felt like it was 600 pages and not 300. Just never ending.

I'm honestly sad I didn't like this more. 😭

This was a really cute summer read. I love a good “one that got away” romance and the beach town setting made me wistful for summer

I love Emma Lord’s YA books and I was excited to see what she would do with adult characters. I didn’t connect with this book quite as much as I had hoped, but I’m definitely excited to see if Emma will write more adult romances (although it was really jarring at first to read a steamy scene in an Emma Lord book!)

I have no doubt many people will love and connect with this story

This was a great friends to lovers/fake dating rom com. I loved the characters and each of their journeys. My only complaint is that it was a bit too long and stalled in parts for me. Thanks to netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy!

Who doesn't love a cute friends to lover romance? This would make for a good light beach read.

I loved the setting and the characters were easy to connect with. This one offers a few great tropes friends to lovers, fake dating, and second chance romance. This story explores a lot of social media and gets back at exes.

This one will have you feeling different emotions throughout. I just wish the connection would have been a bit stronger between all the characters.

All in all, I feel like this would make a cute summer read, but unfortunately, I just couldn't get connected as much as I would have liked. This is my first book from this author, and I still would like to explore more of her books in the future.

This was a good story about how we all deal with grief differently, but finding your way through with the right people. This book is also full of fun fake dating and an adorable scone shop on a beach, Definitely recommend.

The Break - Up Pact was a sweet and easy read. It has childhood friends and fake dating tropes which I always love. The pacing was a bit fast for me and I did wish there was a bit more revenge for some of the characters but at least it was realistic when it came to that part. Overall I enjoyed this book, I just wish the ending wasn’t rushed.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for allowing me to read this ARC

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Press for providing me with an ARC of The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord in exchange for my honest review. I loved it! I absolutely devoured this novel in just over a day.

This the cutest second chance, fake-dating romance novel! One of my favourite tropes is fake-dating so I knew it was going to be enjoyable but the backstory and history between the characters, Levi and June, roped me in. They have such a connected past, and with the additional backstory of June's sister, they share so much pain in different but similar ways. The influence of social media is highlighted in this novel with the main character's highly public breakups - it is such a unique aspect in this modern era and I thought it was very cleverly done and highly realistic.

The main characters were all very relatable and I found myself easily identifying with them (as a dessert lover married to a non-dessert lover - who doesn't like dessert?). The relatability made me connect with the characters and I found myself compelled and very invested in their heartwarming journeys. I also want to add there was a little bit of well earned, slow burn, delightful spice that felt perfectly timed and placed. Personally I wish there was a little bit more but the spice we got was just perfect.

If you're a fan of Emily Henry or Ali Hazelwood, you'll love this book!

Gushing about Emma Lord's 'Love Letters' is an absolute pleasure. Right off the bat, this book exceeded all my expectations, and I found myself completely immersed in the delightful world Lord crafted. The story flawlessly combines romance, humor, and touching moments, creating a compelling narrative that had me yearning for more.

Naomi and Luca's journey, starting with acerbic banter in fifth grade and evolving into a deep and meaningful friendship, is brilliantly portrayed by Lord. The authenticity and charm in the development of their relationship, from rivals to steadfast friends, captivated my heart from start to finish.

Lord's use of dual POV is a standout feature. It's a rare gem in contemporary romance, and the way she skillfully handles it, starting in different places and converging at emotional peaks, kept me thoroughly engaged in the characters' journey.

'Love Letters' isn't just a book; it's a heartfelt and captivating tale that left a lasting imprint on my heart. Lord's storytelling prowess and memorable characters make this a must-read for fans of romance and contemporary fiction. I highly recommend it to anyone in search of a story that elicits a range of emotions and leaves them eagerly anticipating more. The book is a delightful rollercoaster of emotions, with moments that induce laughter, excitement, and a constant ear-to-ear grin. The hate notes exchanged between our "Penemies" and the subtle nuances in their sentences revealing true feelings were an absolute joy to explore. The slow burn added a sweet anticipation to their eventual union, reminiscent of the charm in "You've Got Mail."

Every element, from the cover to the title, and even the endearing animals, couldn't be any cuter. I'm eagerly looking forward to more from Emma Lord in the future!

A massive thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Emma Lord for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 📚✨

The Break up pact was sooo cute. It has me hooked from the very beginning!!! I usually find romance novels too cheesy at times but this one was not. I don’t want to give a lot a way. Just trust that this one will have you kicking your feet in excitement by the end.

I don't really read a lot of friends to lovers books but I really enjoyed this one.

June and Levi haven't been in communication with one another for a long time, but they finally see one another again to help plan June's brother's wedding. They have both been publicly dumped and come up with a scheme to get back at their exes. Will it work? Or will it make them face their true feelings for one another?

🩶 Friends-to-lovers
🩶 Fake-Dating

This book was pretty amazing the highs were high (so much love in this book!) and the lows were low (they were called Revenge Exes for a reason). Also I people love the reading style and how the time jumps were formatted as memories and not abrupt.

I’m ashamed to say it but this was my first book by Emma Lord. Why have not been reading her books all this time!?!?! I see lots of Emma Lord in my future.

Fake dating tropes are a bit hit or miss for me but this second chance, small town, friends to lovers romance was absolute perfection in my eyes.

This was a cozy read with a small-town beachy vibe. The book follows June and Levi who used to be best friends but haven’t stayed in touch. They both recently have experienced really embarrassing, really public break-ups that both went viral online.

The #revengeexes are born when June and Levi make a pact to fake date so that June can use the online publicity to save her business and Levi can get his ex back.

Not only was this THE most charming romance with the most lovable characters, it’s also a great story about navigating grief, and sharing that load with the ones you love.

I was so invested in this fake relationship. June and Levi are so relatable and both people I would truly want to know in my real life.

This will be the perfect summer read when this one hits the shelves in August of this year, and I cannot wait to shove this book at all by book besties!